Steelers, Raiders agree to Antonio Brown blockbuster

Mr. Big Chest is off to Raiders land — and apparently he couldn’t be more enthused.

Following months of nauseating drama, the Raiders will reportedlysend their third and fifth rounder in this year’s draft — picks No. 66 and 142 — to the Steelers in exchange for the disgruntled Antonio Brown.

Advertisement

Brown, as promised on Friday, broke news of the long-awaited trade midnight Sunday with a pair of tweets, one portraying the star receiver in Black and Silver and another kicking it with new quarterback Derek Carr at a prior Pro Bowl.

The 30-year-old Brown will receive a new three-year contract, worth up to $54.125 million from his new team, with $30.125 million guaranteed, according to ESPN. Brown previously had three years and $38.9 million left on his Steelers contract, no money guaranteed, as Pittsburgh will reportedly be forced to eat up $21.12 million in dead money against the cap.

Although agreed upon, the blockbuster trade can’t become official until the start of the new league year this coming Wednesday.

Brown’s breakup from the Steelers ends a saga that boiled over the final week of the regular season into the frigid winter. A disgruntled Brown went AWOL before his team’s final game, leading to his benching, and then fired off one social media tirade after another directed at the only organization he’s ever known. (One included Brown strangely demanding guaranteed money from his next employer and to be called “Mr. Big Chest.” Both requests seemingly worked.)

This move shouldn’t come as a shock from the Raiders’ end. Multiple sources at the NFL Combine told the Daily News’ Pat Leonard that this would soon turn into the offseason of Jon Gruden after his first year back in Oakland, following a decade away from the sidelines, yielded only four wins.

And that it did, the diabolical head coach landing the future Hall of Famer for pennies on the dollar.

“Jets could — and should — have been willing to pay this price: a third-rounder, fifth-rounder and $30M fully guaranteed over the next three years,” the Daily News Manish Mehta wrote on Twitter shortly after the trade. Who needs a dynamic superstar WR to help Sam Darnold, right?”

“The greatest thing about this man is, I’ve told all our receivers: If you get a chance to watch him practice, you’ll see what unlocks the greatness in him,” Gruden said last season before a Raiders-Steelers ESPN matchup.

“He’s the hardest-working man, I think, in football. Hardest-working player I’ve ever seen practice, and I’ve seen Jerry Rice, I’ve seen a lot of good ones. But I put Antonio Brown at the top. And if there’s any young wideouts out there, I’d go watch him practice and you’ll see for yourself why he’s such a good player.”

Even Brown’s tumultuous final season in the Steel City, which still included a career-high 15 touchdowns, alongside 104 receptions and 1,297 yards in 15 games, couldn’t scare away Gruden. But it sure kept the majority of the league on the periphery of all the trade talk, as many reports indicated only the Raiders, Titans and Washington were in on Brown until the very end. A story last Thursday suggested the Bills were on the one-yard line of acquiring Brown, though the star quickly dismissed it as “Fake News” on social media, and the plot died soon after.

“We inquired about Antonio Brown on Tuesday, and kept talks open with the Steelers,” Bills GM Brandon Beane said in a statement after the debacle. “We had positive discussions, but ultimately it didn’t make sense for either side. As great a player as Antonio Brown is, we have moved on and our focus is on free agency.”

That smoke eventually cleared, and now, Brown is off to wherever the Raiders will play next year... and then Las Vegas (relocation) thereon after.